Terror Strikes Copenhagen

"It Is the Danes' Fault"

The first question the Danish Prime Minister got from one of the journalists, was, "How do you think this is going to affect the Muslims in Denmark? None of the journalists asked, "What are you going to do to protect us from this Islamist savagery?"

Imam Hajj Saeed of the Al-Faruq Mosque in Copenhagen, the day before the terror attack, rejected any thought of interfaith dialogue, and noted that the Prophet Muhammad waged war against his Jewish neighbors rather than engage in dialogue.

The day after the shootings, the political spokesperson of the main liberal opposition party went on television and said, "We are dealing with a small group that is abusing the Koran." In other words, once again we are faced with one or more Muslims who have completely misunderstood their own religion. The implication, of course is that Danes have nothing to fear from the fast growing number of Muslims or the spread of Islam.

It would appear, however, that the killer, Omar el-Hussein, had not "abused" anything but simply followed Allah and his prophet.

"It is vital that we as Muslims do not distance ourselves [from el-Hussein's actions] but put things in their right context. It is the Danish politicians and media that ought to distance themselves from the politics that have created the circumstances that lead to hatred, threats and violent attacks and eventually murder, regardless of who the victims may be. We must under no circumstances bow to the pressure or accept the premise that Islam is in the dock." — From a press release issued by Junes Kock, spokesman for Hizb ut-Tahrir, Scandinavia.

In all likelihood, the politicians and the media will continue telling the Danes that they have nothing to fear from Islam.

It did not take many hours after last weekend's two fatal terrorist attacks in the Danish capital before the usual phalanx of apologists of Islamism went into action.

Shortly after 3pm on Saturday, when 22-year-old Omar Abdel Hamid el-Hussein had shot and killed one of the guests attending a discussion on free speech at the Krudttønden cultural institute in Copenhagen's Østerbro neighborhood, Prime Minister Helle Thorning-Schmidt arrived at the scene to express her sympathy with the families of the victim and the policemen who had been wounded in the firefight with el-Hussein. She also stressed the need for national unity in this time of horror.

The discussion that came under attack was attended by the Swedish artist Lars Vilks -- famous for his drawing of Muhammad as a roundabout dog, and probably the intended target -- and the French ambassador.

The first question Thorning-Schmidt got from one of the journalists was, "How do you think this is going to affect Muslims in Denmark?" None of the journalists asked, "What are you going to do to protect us from Islamist savagery?" Or, "How can you allow the current mass influx of Muslims when we have so obviously been unable to integrate those already here?"

These questions are now being asked by a growing number of ordinary Danes, for example in social media; but so far no politician of any note has acknowledged any connection between terror, immigration, the build-up of Muslim parallel communities and Islam.

This lapse is despite the fact that el-Hussein had been heard shouting in Arabic as he emptied his automatic weapon into a glass door leading into Krudttønden, after shooting dead 55-year-old film director Finn Nørgaard, who had been standing outside.

El-Hussein managed to flee, and several hours later -- shortly before 1am Sunday -- he turned up outside the synagogue in Krystalgade in Central Copenhagen. In front of the synagogue were the Jewish community's volunteer guard, 37-year-old Dan Uzan, and two policemen who were protecting a bat mitzvah party taking place in a building behind the synagogue. El-Hussein managed to get close to the fence in front of the synagogue by playing drunk, then shot dead Dan Uzan and wounded the two policemen, whose automatic weapons did not function.

By then, the police knew his identity; he was killed some hours later outside a building in the heavily Muslim area of Nørrebro, after opening fire on the police.

Two suspected accomplices, aged 19 and 22, were arrested shortly afterwards and are now in jail awaiting trial.

No mention of Islam

After Omar el-Hussein's two shooting sprees, it should have been perfectly clear to politicians that Denmark was facing religiously motivated terror and that, just as in Paris, it was directed at free speech and the Jewish community.

Nevertheless, none of them -- whether from the government or the opposition -- saw fit to mention Islam as a motivating factor. Rather, everyone went out of his way to stress the need for unity among all religions. The leader of the Jewish Faith Community (Mosaisk Troessamfund), Dan Rosenberg Asmussen, emphasized the need for "Muslims, Christians and Jews" to stand together in this time of adversity.

Rosenberg Asmussen would have been disappointed if he had heard what Imam Hajj Saeed of the Al-Faruq Mosque in Copenhagen told his flock on February 13, the day before the terror attacks: Imam Saeed rejected any thought of interfaith dialogue and noted that the Prophet Muhammad waged war against his Jewish neighbors rather than engage in dialogue.

The day after the shootings, a spokesperson of the main liberal opposition party (Venstre), MP Inger Støjberg, went on television and said, "Let me be quite clear: We are dealing with a small group that is abusing the Koran." In other words, once again we are faced with one or more Muslims who have completely misunderstood their own religion. The implication, of course, is that Danes have nothing to fear from the fast-growing number of Muslims and the spread of Islam.

Curiously, the killer, Omar el-Hussein made no bones about the fact he acted in accordance with Islamic teachings. At 3:24 pm Saturday, nine minutes before his attack at Krudttønden, he posted the following comment on Facebook: "I follow Abu Bakr obediently and humbly in bad times as well as good and will not disobey the orders I have been given unless I witness open unbelief."

The Facebook message was revealed by the national daily, B.T., which had it translated from Arabic to Danish. The paper assumes that "Abu Bakr" refers to Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the self-proclaimed caliph of the Islamic State.

A little earlier, at 3:01 pm the same day, el-Hussein had quoted the Koran (sura 59, verse 2) on his Facebook page: "It is He who expelled the ones who disbelieved among the People of the Book [Jews and Christians] from their homes at the first gathering. You did not think they would leave, and they thought that their fortresses would protect them from Allah; but Allah came upon them from where they had not expected, and He cast terror into their hearts [so] they destroyed their houses by their hands and the hands of the believers. So take warning, O people of vision."

It would appear that Omar el-Hussein had not "abused" anything but simply followed Allah and his prophet.

A small group?

How did MP Inger Støjberg, and other politicians who have been saying the same things, know that Danes are up against "a small group"?

It turns out, in fact, that Omar el-Hussein and his accomplices have quite a fan club in and around the Muslim settlement area of Nørrebro in Copenhagen, as demonstrated by this French video published by the blog Gates of Vienna, with English subtitles. Danish television has also interviewed other young Muslims who expressed support for el-Hussein and openly declared that people who dare criticize the prophet -- as, in this case, Swedish artist Lars Vilks -- must be killed.

Danish and French television crews had no problem finding Muslims on the streets of Copenhagen who supported and praised terrorist Omar el-Hussein and his actions, along with many flower bouquets marking a memorial on the street where el-Hussein was killed in a shoot-out with police.

Further, the radical Muslim organization Hizb ut-Tahrir, which can regularly muster more than a thousand supporters for its demonstrations in Copenhagen, refuses to condemn the weekend's terror. A press release issued by the organization's spokesman for Scandinavia, Junes Kock, states:

"It is vital that we as Muslims do not distance ourselves [from el-Hussein's actions] but put things in their right context. It is the Danish politicians and media that ought to distance themselves from the politics that have created the circumstances that lead to hatred, threats, violent attacks and eventually murder, regardless of who the victims may be. We as a Muslim community must under no circumstances bow to the pressure or accept the premise that Islam is in the dock."

It appears that Hizb ut-Tahrir can rest assured that Islam will not be put in the dock. In all likelihood, politicians and the media will continue telling the Danes that they have nothing to fear from Islam.

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31 Reader Comments

Balakrishnan • Feb 22, 2015 at 05:14

I think that this spokesperson talks while asleep. I pity on Danish people.

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Neal • Feb 21, 2015 at 20:31

Once again when it comes to political correctness, the perpetrators are characterized as victims. When will the world catch on?

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Sandra Katz • Feb 21, 2015 at 08:35

Talking about Europe, what they allow and don't allow. What they say and don't say. What are we doing about Australia?Hisb-ut Tahrir is here. They are banned in other countries. What influence do they have on the Moslem community.? Why are their leaders spokesmen for that community. Fundermentalist and Antisemetic Moslem books are allowed on open display in certain book shops. Why are Australians allowing this. Why are our Moslem citizens allowing this. What about Australia. Is it just a matter of time.

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JANE VON RATHSACH • Feb 21, 2015 at 08:29

Denmark has got both Pegida and several ny National-Conservative parties ready hopefully before election 2015 Sept. or before, might be May.

We are very caring to bring Denmark back to the country we had before the Muslims took dominance in our lifestyle, with halal meat everywhere for children and Hospitals.

Ghettos with NO GO Zones exist where even Police and Firemen cannot enter without stones and racist verbal assaults.

Dansk Samling

We are supporting the fear for Islam, that the Danish people feel the politicians refuses to speak about for years.We are people thinking that also EU has stolen our freedom and we want to leave the EU like many others

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Tony Butler • Feb 21, 2015 at 06:25

As hundreds of resident Muslims flock from Britain to ISIS, and our governments pretend it's not really a threat, but we can almost certainly expect Islamic terrorist threats here in the UK, one could be forgiven for asking, why we allow this religion of hatred a foothold in Britain?

Now, before any political apologist decries my freedom to express my personal opinion and bow the knee to theirs, let me make it clear that it is they, not I abuse their oaths and power of office.

Allowing Islam, the antithesis of democracy,freedom of thought and expression, to dictate and import its religious bigotry and hatred is a crime against the people of this country.

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Hepcat • Feb 20, 2015 at 23:49

According to a Pew poll, 84% of Egyptian Muslims want the death penalty for those who leave Islam:

The word Islam is an archaic Quranic Arabic word that means submission and by that is meant submission to Al Shari'iah, the Law of Allah, His Name be praised. Omar Al Hussein simply followed this law as did Imam Hajj Saeed.The Muslim doctrine is not a faith nor a religion.The word religion is a Greek Latin word that means believing in Gods.Muslims have no faith and do not believe in Allah, they submit to His Law, which orders Muslims to hide behind rocks and bushes awaiting an opportunity to kill believers (Jews, Christians etc.), but not on the holy days.Jihad is the war against non Muslims that every follower of Al Shari'iah is ordered to wage. Someone who fights Jihad is a Mujihad, a group that fights Jihad are Mujihadeen. A Muslim male with pubic hair who dies in Jihad is a Shaheed, a martyr, the highest accomplishment under Al Shari'iah and goes to Paradise.But then also in Al Shari'iah, the father of an about six year old girl who sells the right to fornicate with her in a Muslim marriage contract also goes to paradise based on Abu Bakr, the first Khalif and his daughter Aisha who was married at such an age to Muhammad who consumated the marriage when she was about seven.Muhammad Rasul Allah is the Messenger of Allah, he is not a prophet.Anybody who makes any prophesies under Al Shari'iah commits an enormity punishable by death.

Kind regards,

Bart Benschop

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steven L • Feb 20, 2015 at 18:48

Beyond the Danes, Socialism is the guilty party and all their supporters.

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Clem Alford • Feb 20, 2015 at 17:56

When are followers of Islam going to move into the 21st century? The Koran was written around the eighth century. Do Muslims really think they can get stuck in a faith time warp forever? And what about all those scientific advancements some Muslim scholars and historians and leaders are always boasting about or is that conditional on following a faith blindly without question? It needs an enlightenment as happened in Europe or maybe the enlightenment for Islam is the passive takeover of Europe by uncontrolled mass immigration.

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Lise Ewald • Feb 20, 2015 at 17:52

How. Sad to read that the Danes are so Willy-Nilly about such an important issue as the influx of Muslims to Denmark, or is it that the press are so pro-Muslim? Hopefully the people recognize a bad thing when they see it.

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My hear bleeds for Europe. USA is next • Feb 20, 2015 at 16:57

It is time for Europe to wake up and deal with Islamic terrorism.

I am not concerned of the Jews in Europe ( I am not Jewish) , but I feel EU should unite to form EUAT ( European Union against Islamic terrorism).

PS. I am an Arab (non Jewish, non Israeli)

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Dan Sandberg • Feb 20, 2015 at 16:25

Ordinary Danes, suffering a wave of rape and other crime from Muslim immigrants, are well aware of the harm of the Muslim immigrants. The politicians, for a variety of reasons, including political correctness and plain old cowardice, pretend that the problem Muslims are not Muslims! Ordinary Danes are not stupid enough or cowardly enough to agree.

The aggression, criminal behavior against "infidels," and outright terrorism is the very essence of Islam. It is the core of Islam's two "holy" books, the Koran and the Hathis. Pursuit of Jihad is mandated by Islam and those who terrorize the infidels with crime, rape, and murderous terrorism are simply obeying the teachings and being "good Muslims."

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Jerald Gould • Feb 20, 2015 at 15:14

When I think of the courage of the Danes helping to save hundreds of Jews by giving them refuge in the Second World War, this about face stance when it comes to Islamic terrorists in their midst is so very hard to comprehend? It's about time that the Prime Minister & others in authority laid down the "Laws of the Land"! Those Muslims who wish to respect & adhere to Denmark's laws & contribute to the countries well being can stay. Those who don't should be deported immediately!

What say you ?

Jerald Gould [in Montreal]

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AmericanMom • Feb 20, 2015 at 12:06

Ok so these Danish Muslims believe it was right to kill a man over free speech they found offensive -- but what did the Jew do? Is it that he simply existed? He was not offending Muslims with his speech but simply guarding children from people like the murderer. Yet the murderer is celebrated as a hero in his neighborhood and across the Muslim world. Sick sick sick.

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Rev James Davidson • Feb 20, 2015 at 11:27

Yes they are: Like all the other countries in Europe they have sleep walked into this situation by allowing free movement of Islamists to cross their border. Read the Islamic Trilogy for the truth that Islam's sole aim is to rule the world. A first step could be the deportation of Imam Hajj Saeed of the Al-Faruq Mosque in Copenhagen for inciting violence. But like other leaders of the western world the Danes will not have the intestinal fortitude to take such action.

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Ariane Hechter • Feb 20, 2015 at 09:52

Blind are those who do not want to see. And they shall pay for it.

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Russell • Feb 20, 2015 at 09:49

As long as Western leaders remain shy of stating the real facts and keep wrapping the true teachings of Islam in a chocolate coating, the more terrorists are emboldened to strike at those that speak out against their barbarism. They no doubt fear that if the public were enlightened then violence will ensue as citizens strike back at Muslims who are not guilty of any crime. Have they not noticed that the violence is already upon them with non-Muslims as the victims. The people have a right to know and insist that the authorities act against the terror. Isn't that what democracy is supposed to be about, the will of the majority? These European nations must enforce their own laws and stop these parallel societies from claiming independence and claiming city suburbs as exclusive to Muslims and then using them as launching pads and safe havens for terrorists.

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Cody Flecker • Feb 20, 2015 at 09:14

As every new emerging society takes hold in a new land, they bring with them the customs and traditions of the old world. The Muslims today in Europe, are no different than the Jews who came to the United States in the 1880's to the beginning of WW2.

When the Jews came to the New World, they too took all of their former associations, both criminal and otherwise as they adapted to their new place of residence. We no longer talk about the "Purple Gang " out of Detroit, or "Murder Inc" out of Brooklyn NY. Jewish gangs that wrought havoc upon the inhabitants where they operated. These Jewish gangsters didn't wreak havoc upon their Christian neighbors, they still were a source of fear to all.

The Muslims in Europe are entering at a time when Europe is still a class oriented society. Certainly the Muslims can enter, but can they really become a part of modern day Europe? The Europeans who are Socialists want to create one society for all people, but are the Muslims ready for such inclusion? Perhaps in fifty years they will be, but at the present time they are still too clannish to accept change.

Starting in the 1880's when the mass migration of the Jews to the United States began, the average Jewish person still maintained their customs and traditions of the old world. Very few people changed their names, and certainly very few joined Conservative and Reformed congregations. Their children and grandchildren however did change their names to become more "Americanized" many had gone to other forms of Jewish worship leaving the Orthodox fold, which leads me to believe that the Muslims who live in Europe, once they feel at home in their new countries, will one day also become more Europeanized and begin a new life.

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t erry K • Feb 20, 2015 at 08:38

The Danes are sleepwalking into subjugation and eventually death at the hands of radical Muslims . It is almost too late unless they get a grip on the situation very soon .

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Lia • Feb 20, 2015 at 08:33

Of course Vilks was the target -- for money. Bruce Bawer in "Surrender: Appeasing Islam, Sacrificing Freedom" says the price on Vilks' head is $100,000 ($150,000 if his throat is slit). Believing in Islam doesn't quite blind its adherents to making a profit.

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TheSnail • Feb 20, 2015 at 08:22

The only virtue that seems to be promulgated by the West is called Tolerance. It is sounded loud by many Western leaders. No one seems to question what we should tolerate. Should we tolerate murder? Or rape or other such activities. Of course these are extreme actions, but there are few in the West who would tolerate them. Morality and ethics decide what a society defines as tolerable. Because the West has no agreed basis for morality, it is hard to produce a convincing argument to counter the Islamists to which everybody agrees. Various Western parties -- political, religious, atheistic -- tend to argue among themselves and divided they fall.

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Bienvenido Reyes • Feb 20, 2015 at 08:19

While we exercise our free speech in expressing our ideas and thoughts, such freedom of expression must not hurt the feelings of other religious groups nor tend to provoke the sentiments of its members. Remember that freedom of expression is not ABSOLUTE, it has limitations also. Drawing Mohammad as a roundabout dog is like drawing JESUS in the same situation. As Pope Francis said "All religions are true" so lets respect others beliefs.

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Taking care of business! • Feb 20, 2015 at 08:12

Let's hear it for multiculturalism and tolerance, the two bastard stepchildren of the politically correct crowd. And being white and/or a Christian or Jew sure doesn't help much when the progressive crowd is out doing all that is insanely possible to dismember and destroy Western civilization.

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Michael Waugh • Feb 20, 2015 at 08:09

It is the right of all Danes to be protected from foreign minority religions and the terrorism that goes with them. Denmark must preserve its right to free speech regardless. It is wrong to say that the Koran does not preach violence against "non believers". Geert Wilders' film warns Europe of horrors to come.

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signs of the time • Feb 20, 2015 at 08:00

"It's the Law! Anyone who insults Mohammed must die!"Somehow, God has been left in a secondary position and the individual who accepts this blasphemy is indeed, perverted in his religion.

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richard sherwin • Feb 20, 2015 at 07:57

The European politicians of the left and center have confused their people, training them with multiculturalism's weaknesses and lies to become willing dhimmis (2d class residents in countries they once were citizens of). It seems long past time for the present --and very temporary-- rulers of Europe to demand European Muslims clean house, stop their support theologically socially and politically for any and all jihadi violence. Use their fatwas to excommunicate, isolate, condemn, all such violent activities..

Everyone knows the Saudis and the Qataris finance the system of schools and mosques that preach such violence. And lie barefacedly when taken to task about it. Add to this the many videos and internet courses teaching how to establish guerrilla cells in Europe to work for the downfall of the western republics that host them, and the nonsense preached by European politicians about tolerance of those working to destroy you, and you've got a critical situation demanding governments to take back control of their countries. To protect western values and refuse Muslim jihadis, shari'a law, and customs.

Or simply say goodbye Europe.

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Yuri • Feb 20, 2015 at 07:26

First of all, lots of thanks to Lars Hedegaard for his brilliant (as usual) article.

Strange as it may seem, but even in Vladimir Putin's Russia the behavior of the so-called "politicians" is the same. From top to bottom Putin and his stooges (despite their seemingly "anti-Western" fervor) sing the same song about the sweet, lovely Muslims. Last autumn a small TV channel reported that about 20 people were killed in the roads near Moscow, and police did not budge an inch. Only after the number exceeded 20 people they started to do something and suddenly discovered that all the murders were committed by "a small group from Central Asia, who abused the Koran". Of all the gang (more than 10) they grabbed only one (to be true one, thank God, was killed). But all the rest have escaped. It means they will hardly be caught (just like the murderers of Paul Khlebnikov of the Forbes).

Putin uses these gangs for elections (bribing their bosses who order the herd to vote for him "in the name of Allah"). But is it the same in Denmark?

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g m ben-nathan • Feb 20, 2015 at 07:22

When a minority reaches about 10% of the total population, as did the Jews in Poland and elsewhere in Europe during the 1930's, the host culture, fearful of irreparable loss of its own values and culture, expels the minority.

The initiative comes from 'the people'. The literally revolt. They produce 'revolutionary' leadership.

Muslim minorities all over Europe need to be aware of this potentiality.

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Hanna • Feb 20, 2015 at 06:12

Please Mr. President, just for once, instead of your own voice, listen to the Islamists themselves -- they have no problem with telling the truth. They have a plan for the world and it is, definitely, NOT IN THE DOCK. Thank you Mr. Lars Hedegaard for, at least trying to wake up a sleeping world IN THE DOCK

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Eve Hanna • Feb 22, 2015 at 11:41

You expect POTUS to listen? This is a man who worshipped for 20 years in the church of Rev. Wright -- who preached antisemitism in almost every sermon. And then Obama claimed he didn't realize Wright is an antisemite. That's like saying he didn't notice that Wright is black.

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Albert • Feb 20, 2015 at 06:00

How is it possible that Islamic terror is spreading in it's attacks on the free world and the free world counting the dead says that it is not Islamic terror. It's can't be! Islam is the religion of peace after all. Those "extremists" have hijacked Islam and misinterpret it. Meanwhile, Islamic terror justifies it's murderous behavior with exact quotes of the Koran and Mohammed followed by the Hadith quotes.

No one is more blind than the one who refuse to see or hear when they refuse to listen.